Introduction to Advent
Follow this link to an excellent introductory article on Advent by
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary professor, Dr. Timothy Paul Jones. In
this article, Dr. Jones answers the question, “Why celebrate Advent?”
December 2nd Readings and
Devotion
Psalm 122:1-9
I rejoiced with those who said to
me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” 2 Our feet are
standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 3 Jerusalem is built like a
city that is closely compacted together. 4 That is where the
tribes go up— the tribes of the Lord—to praise the name of the Lord according
to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the
house of David. 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May those
who love you be secure. 7 May there be peace within your walls and
security within your citadels.” 8 For the sake of my family and
friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.” 9 For the sake of
the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.
For the Children of Israel, going to Jerusalem was extremely
significant. During the seven annual feasts, pilgrims would travel to the Holy
City to follow the statutes concerning these sacred festivals and Jerusalem as
the only place for sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12). Jerusalem was also the political
center of Israel – the place where David and his family line ruled, and the
legal center, where judgments were rendered. That Jerusalem was secure was a
matter of prayer for God’s people, for it was there that God met with His
people. Preservation of Jerusalem meant that the Temple would also be
preserved. God’s Presence and favor was closely associated with the “House of the
Lord.”
Over
the years, God’s people became less fervent in their worship and in their
faithfulness to God. Because of their sin, God’s judgment fell upon them. In
586 BC, the Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and dispersed the people into
foreign lands. The Temple was utterly destroyed, and along with it the special
sense of God’s Presence and power in the lives of the Jewish people. The people
longed to be restored.
All
of this was prophesied by the prophet, Isaiah, who spoke the Word of God during
a fifty year period between 739 and 690 BC.
In that day the Branch of the Lord
will be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the land will be the pride and
glory of the survivors in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion,
who remain in Jerusalem, will be called holy, all who are recorded among the
living in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the filth of the
women of Zion; he will cleanse the bloodstains from Jerusalem by a spirit of
judgment and a spirit of fire. 5 Then the Lord will create over
all of Mount Zion and over those who assemble there a cloud of smoke by day and
a glow of flaming fire by night; over everything the glory will be a
canopy. 6 It will be a shelter and shade from the heat of the
day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain.
Just as Isaiah prophesied the destruction of
Jerusalem, He also spoke of her restoration. Often called the “Messianic
Prophet,” Isaiah speaks of “that day” when
the “Branch
of the Lord” will come. The
Promised One will bring fruitfulness back to a barren land. And the remnant who
remain in Jerusalem will be cleansed by the Lord and the purifying fire of His
Spirit. Once again, like God protected the Children of Israel in the Exodus,
God’s Presence would be known to them as a cloud of smoke by day and a pillar
of fire by night. God’s glory would return like the cloud encompassing Mount
Sinai or filling the Temple at Solomon’s dedication service (1 Kings 8:11). God’s
Presence, like a fortress, would be their refuge from whatever threats might
beset them – the heat of the sun or the raging storms.
According
to Isaiah 2:2-3, It
shall come to pass in the latter days that the mountain of the house of the
LORD shall be established as the highest of the mountains, and shall be raised
above the hills; and all the nations shall flow to it, 3 and many
peoples shall come, and say: "Come, let us go up to the mountain of
the LORD, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and
that we may walk in his paths." For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
When the “Branch of the Lord” comes, the Temple will be
established again as the ultimate place of worship – and Gentiles (those from
other nations) will come seeking the Lord. One day…
Matthew
8:5-11
When
Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. 6 “Lord,”
he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.” 7 Jesus
said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?” 8 The centurion
replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say
the word, and my servant will be healed. 9 For I myself am a
man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he
goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and
he does it.” 10 When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said
to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel
with such great faith. 11 I say to you that many will come from
the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
In this passage, Jesus is approached by a Roman centurion – a Gentile –
one from another nation! This man is seeking Jesus. This same Jesus spoke about
tearing down the temple and rebuilding it in three days. In so doing, Jesus described
Himself as the Temple (see John 2:19-21). In effect, the centurion is going up
to the Temple of the Lord! The Roman leader is coming to Jesus believing that the
Lord can heal his sick servant. “Say the word, and my servant will be healed.” Jesus
was moved by this foreigner. He said, “I have not found anyone in Israel with such a great
faith.” Jesus goes on to affirm what Isaiah had prophesied so many
centuries before – that many will come from the east and west and go up for the
feast with the Saints of old in the Kingdom of God. What was predicted about
the coming of the Messiah is so clearly seen in the life and ministry of Jesus –
the Branch of the Lord! With the Psalmist, and the Roman centurion, may we also
say, “Let us
go to the house of the Lord!”
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